The Landlady by Roald Dahl

Protagonist The main character that is

involved in the conflict Billy Weaver

AntagonistThe character that opposes the

protagonist The Landlady

Dialecta way of speaking that is

characteristic to a particular place or group of people

“The name conjured up images of watery cabbage, rapacious landladies, and a powerful smell of kippers in the living room” (73).

Biscuit—British term for cookie

PlotThe events in the storyBilly Weaver arrives in Bath,

London and is looking for a place to stay. He stumbles upon a Bed and Breakfast, but this place doesn’t exactly turn out how Billy expects.

ExpositionSynonym for basic situationThe episode that gets the story

going, usually at the beginning of the story.

Characters and setting are introduced

Billy arrives in Bath, London looking for a place to stay.

Billy is described as an upbeat business man, and he meets the landlady who is seemingly nice and gentle.

External ConflictCharacter vs. characterBilly vs. the Landlady

Point of View 3rd person point of viewSeems to be an omniscient limited narrator Omniscient—The narrator is an all-knowing

outsider who can enter the minds of more than one of the characters

“And now a peculiar thing happened to him. He was in the act of stepping back and turning away from the window when all at once his eye was caught and helped in the most peculiar manner by the small notice that was there. BED AND BREAKFAST, it said” (74).

Situational IronyThe situation turns out

to be just the opposite of what we’d expect

He has never been to Bath before. He seems to be afraid of boardinghouses but thinks this house is pleasant. It is ironic that a seemingly sweet, nice Landlady will more than likely poison Billy just as Mulholland and Temple.

Dramatic IronyThe reader knows something that

a character does not knowThe reader seems to know that

the Landlady will poison and embalm his body before Billy does.

Verbal IronyWhen the characters say one

thing but mean something else“The morning sun comes right in

the window, Mr. Perkins….” Does the Landlady intend for Billy

to actually see the morning sunshine?

Why does the Landlady continue to forget Billy’s name?

Static CharactersCharacters that do not change in

the storyThe Landlady and Billy

Dynamic CharacterA character that changesNone?

Indirect CharacterizationWriter shows the character in action and let us

decide for ourselves what kind of person we are meeting

“She patted the empty place beside her on the sofa, and she sat there smiling at Billy and waiting for him to come over” (78).

“His landlady sailing into the room with a large silver tea tray in her hands. She was holding it well out in front of her, and rather high up, and though the tray were a pair of reins on a frisky horse” (76).

“But this dame was like a jack in the box. He pressed the bell—and out she popped” (74).

Suspense A state of uncertainty or

excitement, as in awaiting a decision or outcome, usually accompanied by a degree of apprehension or anxiety.

In the story, Billy almost remembers something about Mulholland, but the landlady interrupts him—twice. How does she interrupt him the first time? The second time?

Suspense Continued…What effect do the two

interruptions have?What do we think about the

pickled walnuts?What do we make of the

Landlady’s inability to remember Billy’s name?

OxymoronWhen two contradictory terms

are placed near each otherTerribly nice

HyperboleAn extreme

exaggeration Sleeping

dachshund curled up asleep by the fire

“The old girl is slightly dotty (crazy)” (75).

AllusionA historical, geographical, literary, religious

reference in a storyAs though they were both famous for the same

sort of thing, if you see what I mean—like …well…like Dempsey and Tunney, for example or Churchill or Roosevelt

Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney were American boxes who competed for the world heavyweight championship in 1926.

Churchill was prime minister and Roosevelt was president of the U.S. during WWII.

What are both of these guys in the story famous for?

Symbol An object or action that means

something more than its literal meaning

Bitter almonds and/or walnuts would be recognized as potassium cyanide

Parallel EpisodesRepeated events in the storyThe fate of Mulholland and

TempleNow….Billy Weaver

ForeshadowingThe use of hints of clues to suggest what will

happen later “But this dame was like a jack in the box. He

pressed the bell—and out she popped! It made him jump” (74).

“His landlady wasn’t there, but the fire was glowing on the hearth, and the little dachshund was still sleeping soundly in front of it (76).

“It was not in the least unpleasant, and it reminded him—well, he wasn’t quite sure what it reminded him of Pickled walnuts?” (79).